Hello lovelies! I'm so so so sorry that I haven't updated in forever. Summer was crazy and college apps are actually the worst thing ever. Thank y'all so much for your patience. Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter 4

As Chat Noir crept back down the stairs to the courtyard, he constantly checked behind himself, making sure Chloe was actually following him and had not run off. He did not like his idea of baiting Marinette, now Coccinellidae, with Chloe, but he had no other plan. Ladybug obviously wasn't going to show up because Marinette was Ladybug. He honestly was still trying to wrap his head around the idea. His thoughts were interrupted by a small beeping noise. Chat looked at his ring. Four pads on the paw print meant four minutes to go; he needed to get this done now.

Chat prayed that Chloe stuck to the plan. He hated that the fate of his Lady was in her perfectly manicured hands. He studied Coccinellidae, trying to figure out where her akuma was. Her outfit looked almost the same as her Ladybug costume; the only differences were the wings and… the necklace! Of course, the necklace had been the first thing Chloe had stolen from Marinette. The akuma had to be in there.

Chat and Chloe had arrived on the bottom floor and were facing the courtyard. Chat whispered a soft "go" to Chloe; she rolled her eyes but Chat could see the tiniest bit of fear behind the sass. Fortunately, she complied with his wishes. Chloe tiptoed quietly towards the opposite corner of the large courtyard. She was going to be the distraction.

Chat saw Chloe take a deep breathe. "Hey, Ladybug!" She waved her hands in the air.

Coccinellidae snapped her head around and sneered at Chloe. "How did you get out of that classroom?!" Coccinellidae growled. She immediately left the group of students unattended and flew to Chloe.

Chat silently cheered. For once, everything was going as planned. The students seemed to be out of harm's way for the moment and with Chloe distracting her, Chat would hopefully be able to proceed with his role in the plan. He, as quietly as possible, sprinted towards the pair.

Coccinellidae now stood right in front of Chloe. Chat Noir approached sneakily behind her, his hands ready to snatch the necklace from around her neck.

His hands were nearly to her neck when a voice cried out, "Yeah, go, Chat Noir!"

Chat mentally face palmed. Of course, it was Kim. He forgot about the civilian factor; how many times had one of Ladybug or Chat Noir's plans gone wrong because some bystander tried to encourage them and had given their position away to their opponent?

Coccinellidae immediately whipped around. She sneered in his face. Chat balked at the sight of such a nasty smirk across his Lady's features. The beep that echoed from his ring snapped him out of it. Three minutes left. Chat immediately went into a threatening pose.

"Oh kitty cat," Coccinellidae almost purred, "are you really going to fight me?"

Chat cleared his throat before answering. "Marinette, I don't want to hurt you. Don't let Hawkmoth turn you into something you aren't."

Coccinellidae howled with laughter. "Chat, you always saw the best in me, even when it wasn't there. Why try and fight? We both know I could take you. Why not save time and just give me your miraculous? It'll be easier." As she spoke, she conjured up the sticky yellow goo to her hands.

"Never, Hawkmoth. Marinette, I know you're in there. You don't want to do this," Chat pleaded. He tried to keep his voice steady, but the tremor in it became more evident as he spoke.

Coccinellidae just smirked. "See if you can save them all, kitty," she stared at him with Marinette's big, innocent eyes. She then proceeded to throw all of the goo at the large group of students.

By some miracle, the students had been at least paying attention because they all scattered. No one was directly hit. Chat breathed a sigh of relief.

Coccinellidae, on the other hand, yelled in frustration. Her eyes flashed. She turned around and aimed for Chloe this time.

Chat barreled past Coccinellidae and tackled Chloe out of the way right before the glob of yellow goo hit her.

"Chat! You're supposed to be my partner; why are you helping her?!" Her words had the desired effect on him. Chat faltered for a split second and Coccinellidae used it to her advantage. The next batch of goo missed him by two inches.

Her statement stung Chat a lot harder than he thought it would. He instantly felt guilty. He stared at her. Another beep resonated in his ears. Chat silently swore. Two minutes.

"What's the matter, kitty, cat got your tongue?" Coccinellidae smirked at him.

Chat knew he did not have enough to try and trick Coccinellidae again. So he decided to do something that would've probably given the real Ladybug a heart attack. He tackled Coccinellidae straight on.

The attack took her by surprise, but she quickly recovered. But she was not quick enough. By the time, Coccinellidae could think about conjuring any more goo, Chat had grabbed the necklace from around Coccinellidae's neck. He yanked hard and the chain snapped. Chat dropped the necklace on the ground, quickly getting the akuma box ready. He stomped down hard on the diamond charm and a familiar dark purple butterfly fluttered out. Chat easily captured the small akuma in the clear box.

He knew that none of the damage she had caused would be able to be fixed without Ladybug's miraculous cure, but at least, for now, Marinette would be unakumatized. Chat watched as a dark energy cloud consumed Coccinellidae and left a very frazzled Marinette in its place.

"Oh god, what happened?" She sat up and put a hand to her head. Chat took a step towards her just as his miraculous gave one final warning beep. He cursed internally. He gave Marinette a, what he hoped was comforting, look and then sprinted in the other direction.

Author's Note:

Okay y'all, I am so sorry for being gone for so long and then giving you guys an eh kinda chapter. I am going to try and update more regularly though. Thanks for reading!